Indonesia targets on-site power growth

The government of southeast Asia’s most populous country has released a Masterplan for Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia’s Economic Development (MP3EI) whose goal is developed economy status by 2025. It has identified Indonesia’s patchy energy infrastructure as a ‘primary obstacle’ to achieving this goal. Electricity supply in the greater Jakarta area is rarely interrupted, but in the provinces – particularly outside Java – lengthy power outages are commonplace, with many industrial plants, from palm oil mills to coal mines, requiring on-site power generation. With geographers estimating that Indonesia has 18,307 islands, it is no surprise that the government plan is flexible on how energy production and distribution can be boosted – its goal is expansion. And small energy plant developers are taking notice.